In February of 2019, voters in the City of St. Edward will be asked to approve a one-half cent sales tax to help finance a new community building.
Special election day on this issue will be Feb. 12, 2019. This will be a by-mail election, with a ballot going out to each registered voter residing in the St. Edward city limits. All ballots must be received at the Boone County Clerkâs office by 5 p.m. on election day.
A letter about the community center project is being prepared for mailing to all St. Edward residents within the coming week.
Building Cost, Funding
The proposed additional half-cent sales tax would raise an estimated $32,000 per year to help pay the building debt. It would fund a bond of about $460,000 toward the total building cost of $1.3 million.
Additional funds would have to come in the form of grants, private donations and fund-raising. The sales tax revenue would be used as a match for all grants that are applied for.
Listed as Priority
In the most recent city survey of St. Edward residents, a new community building was listed as the top priority.
A planning committee for the community center was formed in October of 2017 and has met several times with architects and engineers from JEO Consulting Engineers to formulate a tentative plan.
Committee members are Dean Hamling, Max Olson, Rich Good, Tony Kurtenbach, Cindy Stephens, Justin Frederick, Dave Robers and Phil Osantowski.
Current Building Condition
The current community building downtown is deteriorating, committee members say, and the cost to bring it to code would be very high. Known structural issues include the building foundation, cost of utilities, lack of available parking, handicapped accessibility and lighting.
The current building is underutilized and cannot accommodate large groups due to its size, condition and lack of amenities, according to the committee.
